Fusenews: Your source for any and all Gene Wilder trivia

Well, first things first! The Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards were handed out two days ago, and at long last I can finally tell you the winners. These awards are given out to new authors and illustrators of children’s books with no more than three books to their names that “portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world”. This year, Laurel Croza wins the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for I Know Here:

And Tao Nyeu wins the New Illustrator Award for Bunny Days:

Congrats to both winners !

How very interesting. TIME for Kids has come up with a Summer Book Review. Which is to say, they’re recommending books that will be new and in print this summer, from other publishers. One wonders how they came up with this particular list. Thanks to Mr. Schu for the link.

The art of the clever blog post title is difficult to teach. My method tends to be to come up with something vaguely interesting, or to simply quote somebody famous but obscure in the hopes of making approximately four other people in the world happy. This is not an effective strategy. Playing by the Book did it better when it came up with the recent This post has taken me 6 months to write … Seriously. How on earth is a person supposed to resist that? Warning: Contains Danes.

NPR has looked at Wendy McClure’s Little House inspired title The Wilder Life. This is not to be confused with the short lived Gene Wilder television show Something Wilder. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your non-essential trivia of the day.

I admit to being disappointed when I heard that Woody Harrelson had cornered the role of Haymitch in the upcoming Hunger Games movie, but only because I had my heart set on John C. Reilly. Honestly, it’s not bad casting (he can actually act, so that whole drunk/charming/reliable/unreliable thing will go over like gangbusters). It’s the casting of Stanly Tucci as Caesar Flickerman that has me baffled. Honestly I just figured they’d get Regis Philbin, dye his hair blue, and be done with it. Tucci will give the whole project a strange horror. Seems the only big part in the film left to cast would be President Snow. My vote? Tommy Lee Jones. An insane choice, but I can’t think of anyone more frightening you could put in that role. And when was he last allowed to play a baddie anyway? I think he needs to make Batman Forever up to us. Not that they could afford him, I suppose.

Aw. I wish I could say I was surprised when I heard that Wonderland, the Alice musical update, was already closing after a mere 31 previews and 33 performances. I wish I could say that, but I heard the music. There are 1980s homages and then there are musicals that could only have been hits during that time period. Wonderland was of the latter ilk. Thanks to Mr. Schu for the link.

Over at Educating Alice, Monica Edinger gives some proper credit to the utterly marvelous Anna Hibiscus books that I love so dearly. She remarks on whether or not their setting rings true with her experience of West Africa and even addresses the “African, amazing Africa” storytelling trope some objected to. Bravo!

There’s a grand interview with Eva Ibbotson’s son about her life and her legacy in The Journal this week. It also makes mention of her last book, One Dog and His Boy, which has not yet graced our American shores. Many thanks to the Achockablog for the link.

Daily Image:

I have failed to buy any kinds of seeds or soil for my windowbox this spring. Makes me feel a bit out of it. Perhaps if I utilized some of the materials I already had in my home . . .

Elizabeth Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Comments

Ah! Will have to see if I can track down Laurel Croza’s book – that’s new to me. As to plant pots my favourite this week has been this (nothing to do with books, but such a clever use of cacti!) – http://etsy.me/jimdyd.

And can’t you help me out with a lovely Danish picture book suggestion? I’m still searching….

I do think Woody Harrelson as mercurial, unreliable drunk will go over well — but I hear ya on Tommy Lee Jones – he is Scariest Man Ever when he plays the villain. I vote yes! And I’m glad to hear that the author of Anna Hibiscus is soldiering forward. I do get tired of other people trying to determine what an author knows, based on such flimsy assumptions. Those books really are cool.

LOL Betsy on the “Eragon” quip! I’m not sure that book would even be good enough as a planter, but it would be a use for it at least. I, sadly, don’t feel like I can part with my copy because it was a gift from the dear friend that introduced me to my husband. And while the book was awful, her friendship and her match-making skills are bar none. She wouldn’t be insulted if she knew I gave it away, though!

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Features everything from librarian previews of upcoming children's books to news, reviews, and videos. If it has something to do with children's literature, it will rate a mention here.

Betsy Bird is the Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She's reviewed for The New York Times and Kirkus, writes articles for Horn Book and SLJ, and wrote the picture book Giant Dance Party. You can contact her at Fusenumber8@gmail.com or follow her on . . .